


I'll try

by SWModdy



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt, Minor comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-30
Updated: 2017-09-30
Packaged: 2019-01-07 04:04:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12225390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SWModdy/pseuds/SWModdy
Summary: At behest of Obi-Wan, the council extends the offer of a council seat for Anakin. The only catch?Its Obi-Wan’s seat at the event of the man’s death.





	1. Chapter 1

She’s at Dex when she hears the news, trying to figure out where her life is going to take her next. A wild and red eyed reporter on the holoscreen, talking about devastating Republican losses interrupting the usual program and Dex turns the sound up.

“Among the fallen were General Kenobi and General Skywalker has taken massive trauma. We… we will have more on this later and we have a direct shot from the Temple as of now.”

The glass slides from someones hand and smashes against the floor, a bright green liquid staining the already dirty floor at Dex without notice as the sound dims even more.

Ahsoka stares as a shuttle ramp lowers in the hanger of the temple, the camera obviously zooming in as good as it can as several clone troopers with blue and orange slowly descend the ramp.

And then Anakin comes slowly down the ramp, limping.

His mech arm is gone, bloody bandages left where his arm should be and his tunic is torn to shred. By his flesh hand a stretcher hovers, covered in a white sheet and below the sheet…

Ahsoka can see the copper hairs of the person hidden below it.

Master Windu meets him at the base and from the distance Ahsoka can’t tell what his expression is, can only watch as he slowly raises a hand to Anakin’s shoulder, watches Anakin’s shoulders slump as he allows another Jedi to take the stretcher, separating the stretcher for one way and Windu and Anakin for another.

One for the Halls.

The other for the morgue.

She can’t remember getting up.

Can’t remember leaving Dex.

She only remembers running, people calling her name as they notice her, obviously recognizing her but she can’t quite…remember. She only remembers taking the Jedi temple steps two at a time, bringing her into the grand hall.

If she had bothered to look, she would have noticed Jedi avoiding her eyes, everyone too aware of what linage she had once belonged to.

She’s almost reached the Halls when a voice does call out to her. “Soka, wait he’s not ready.”

She turns, meets the weary face of Master Plo and he doesn’t even need to open his mouth for more words because everything is written in the others face and Force being.

Master Obi-Wan is really and utterly gone. This is no Hardeen trick.

()()()

He hadn’t wanted to take it at first when Yoda and Windu had offered him it.

It hadn’t felt right even if he wanted it.

Until Windu had opened his big fat mouth. “It was Obi-Wan’s request to consider you. One of his last should he…not return.”

Obi-Wan’s request.

So here he is, standing in front of the empty chair that once belonged to Obi-Wan, had seen the other sit in so often, lounging with an ease that told everyone that he belonged in this chair while smiling at Anakin.

“…Skywalker?” Anakin looked up to his side where Depa was smiling sadly at him. “The meeting has to start…” He nodded and then slowly sat down, somehow feeling like an impostor at a throne.

The words seemed to filter through him like the ocean waves, lapping at his consciousnesses as he responded as best he could to them until…

“Lastly there’s been a coded message delivered to us, call sign…” Windu froze, staring at the it and Anakin felt a small frown cross his face when the Korun glanced at him.

“Master Windu?” Shaak questioned quietly.

“…Call sign, Guiding Light.” Windu got out quietly after a few moment.

Anakin froze because that was Obi-Wan’s call sign. Obi-Wan had left a message for them and it was there, ready to be played.

“Play it, you will.” Yoda said in the quiet only broken by the skycars outside and Mace did so, the holo display lighting up in an all to familiar form after a few moments.

Obi-Wan smiled in the holo. “Ah, good, it seems the council listened to me for once and made you Councilor in my place Anakin as this wouldn’t have been sent without that, an alternative message would have played.” He chuckles and Anakin help but get up, to move so he can look right up at Obi-Wan just one last time. “And you took the position! Good Anakin, good. The galaxy and the Order needs you and I’m glad you’re giving it a chance.” The older man beamed before seemingly sighing. “But if you’re there and the chair is yours that means I am dead… council member Skywalker.” He mused.

Anakin stared at him. He sounded so nonchalant about his death, as if it wasn’t important but Force there had been an empty black hole in Anakin since the damn Sith Lord master of Dooku had showed his saber through Obi-Wan, cackling as he did.

He’d seemed so strangely familiar…

“Emotion yet peace padawan.” Anakin gritted his teeth at that, staring at Obi-Wan who suddenly looked a bit embarrassed. “I… hope the galaxy let me be selfish one last time… I hope I died by your side fighting Anakin… I must admit that’s the only request I have of the galaxy anymore though I wouldn’t have minded growing old too.” He laughed faintly and Anakin felt tears trickle down his cheeks.

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and made a low noise, reaching out until his fingertips were brushing Anakin’s cheek, the static of the hologram tickling his skin. “Oh padawan…save your tears, I’m not worth them. Emotion, yet peace dear one. The galaxy needs you more then it needs me… and have that arm of yours looked at please.” The eyes opened again, seemingly staring straight at Anakin, reminding the blond about the others ability to see the future once again. “There’s a box in my quarters marked with your name… I must admit its a last selfish request but… they have my goodbyes to the people of a more personal nature though this message here is a code for information I have gathered on the Sith Lord since the beginning of the war, I just never had time to really work on it all. But for now Anakin… for now my fellow council masters… goodbye, may the Force be with you all.” The holo shut down, each chair giving a little ping with the information Obi-Wan had promised.

Salty tears hit the council chamber’s marble floor in the silence.

Emotion… yet peace.

Anakin took a deep breath. ‘…Okay Obi-Wan… I’ll try… I’ll try for you.’


	2. Trying hard

Grief is a difficult thing.

No one quite knows how to handle it or how to move on with it after a loved ones passing, Anakin certainly doesn’t as he’s proved before.

He dreams about Obi-Wan sometimes.

But they are good dreams, the dreams of Obi-Wan sitting in his council chair, smiling quietly at Anakin with a proud glow in his eyes or sitting in the Thousand gardens meditating, looking utterly at peace with greenery around himself.

Perhaps that’s why he’s at the former place himself after one such dream, sitting in Obi-Wan’s chair, stroking one of the arms of it slowly as he remembers Obi-Wan’s arm resting there, the other pressed to his chin with a few fingers on his lips, almost hiding the smile if not for the curve of his eyes as he smiled at Anakin.

Caught up in the memory he doesn’t notice anyone approaching until the doors are sliding open, looking up in surprise to meet Windu’s blank face as the man stares at him for a long moment before sighing and stepping in, closing the doors behind him. “I thought I felt someone in here… its the middle of the night Skywalker, this isn’t healthy for you.” The man rumbled.

Anakin gave an awkward shrug. “I was just… I have slept.” How long was a better question.

Mace snorted and eyed him critically in the dim light from Coruscant at night before sighing and moving to him, settling his hand on the chair too. “…We all miss him. But I understand that your loss is greater then ours, but I also believe he’d be proud to see you now. You’ve done so much since his…fall.”

Anakin looked away, taking a heavy breath. “…I wish he was there still when I brought in Grievous and Ventress. He would have been so happy to know that old droid bait was off the fields since I know he worried about him taking more sabers from Jedi… His gathered information really helped there and I know we’re closing in on their Sith Master, I’m sure of it.”

Mace hummed, rubbing his thumb against the cold metal. “And he’d be proud of your restraint. You brought both back alive, relatively unscratched despite everything they have both done… despite their involvement in Obi-Wan’s death.”

Anakin closed his eyes tightly, not for the first time wishing he hadn’t let Grievous delay him.

“You’ve turned into a far greater Jedi then even Obi-Wan thought you’d become and his trust in you were well placed.” Mace offered quietly as he continued standing between Obi-Wan’s chair and Ka-Adi’s.

“Who would have thought that when Master Jinn brought me here.” Anakin snorted dryly, trying to grasp for equilibrium.

The man sighed. “I don’t think I ever apologize for scaring you back then, it gave you the wrong impression and its stuck with you since then.” Mace rubbed his chin. “I just hope you know they weren’t meant maliciously but with great power comes greater responsibility, especially in our positions… and perhaps we were scared of you.” He confessed.

Anakin felt his jaw drop. “Scared of…me?!” He stared at Windu. How can a nine year old scar people like the council!?

But the Korun nodded. “I can only speak for myself but Qui-Gon’s announcement of a chosen one… well the light is what reigns right now, if a balance were to be struck… what would that mean for us, the Jedi Order?” Brown eyes watched Anakin calmly. “And even then, you’re very strong with so much emotion and attachment. You were strong already as an untrained, instinctual child. I shuddered to think what would happen if your strong emotions got the better off you as it does all Jedi at some point, we all toe the line of darkness and have the choice of accepting or rejecting.” Mace raised his hand. “I myself toe that line all the time with the vaapad.”

It didn’t make up for the fear or the cold back then but it made more sense as Anakin stared up at the other man by the chair.

Suddenly Mace shifted until he was standing in front of Anakin and gave him a low bow. “I apologize Anakin Skywalker, for the undue emotional stress I put you under. I spoke hasty and let the wounds fester for much too long. I hope for the future that we may be able to work for the betterment of the Order and the Republic to uphold the laws.”

Staring at the other man, Anakin wondered what Obi-Wan would say before standing and holding out his hand to the other.

What was important here was what Anakin would say.

The Korun stared before straightening and clasping the other in a spacer greeting, a half smile on his lips.

“Tweesha shakma.” Anakin offered, half smiling too.

“I understood the first but not the latter of that.” Mace chuckled as he let go.

“Hope for shade. Its a desert greeting.” Anakin hummed.

“Its a good greeting.”

They settled, watching the city outside the window in companionable silence and for a moment… Anakin could swear he felt the press of Obi-Wan’s hands on his shoulders just like when he had done something the man had approved of as his padawan.

Just for a moment.


End file.
